The race for smaller, more efficient smartphone chips is heating up, with major players making strategic moves for future devices.
Apple has reportedly reserved TSMC's 2nm chip supply for upcoming iPhones, likely targeting the iPhone 17 Pro models in 2025. This move underscores Apple's commitment to staying at the cutting edge of mobile processor technology.
Meanwhile, Samsung is pushing the boundaries even further. The Korean tech giant's foundry division is aiming to produce 1.4nm chips by 2027, potentially powering the Galaxy S27 series with the most miniaturized processors ever created for smartphones.
However, industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo offers a different timeline for Apple's adoption of 2nm technology:
- The iPhone 17 series (2025) will likely still use 3nm chips, albeit an improved N3P variant from TSMC.
- 2nm chips may not appear in iPhones until the iPhone 18 lineup in 2026.
- Even then, the advanced 2nm chips might be limited to higher-end iPhone 18 models due to increased production costs.
The push for smaller transistors brings several benefits:
- Improved energy efficiency
- Reduced heat generation
- Potentially lower manufacturing costs (per transistor)
- Increased performance density
However, challenges remain:
- Samsung has struggled with chip yield issues in recent years.
- The extreme costs associated with cutting-edge nodes ($20,000 per 3nm wafer) may limit widespread adoption.
- We may be approaching the limits of silicon-based chip scaling.
As the industry pushes towards 2nm and beyond, consumers can expect continued advancements in smartphone performance and efficiency. However, the benefits of each new node may become less dramatic, and the costs associated with development could lead to further segmentation between premium and mid-range devices.